Clinical Review of 20 Cases of Addison’s Disease in Korea: Including Previously Reported Cases and 6 New Cases at the National medical Center

1. 13 patients were male and 7 female. The mean age was 39 years and ranged from 16 to 61 years. 2. Common symptoms included mucocutaneous pigmentation (95 %), general weakness (90%), nasuea and/or vomiting (80%), and weight loss (60%). 3. Initial mean blood pressure was 96±21/63±14 mmHg and adrenal crises were found in 5 cases (25%). 4. Laboratory data indicated hyponatremia and hyperkalemia, resulting in a decreased Na/K ratio. Serum basal cortisol and ACTH levels were 2.86±1.93 ug/dl and 482.5/269.3 pg/ml, respectively. 5. Extra-adrenal tuberculosis was present in 14 cases (70%) as a very high incidence. 6. These 14 cases (70%) were presumed to be due to adrenal tuberculosis, although only two cases were confirmed as such by histopathology. The other cases were likely to be non-tuberculous. Thus, tuberculosis may be-considered as a predominant cause of Addision’s disease in Korea. Other features were not unusual. But further detailed and extensive studies are necessary including more pathologically confirmed cases.